Now THAT’S giving: the story of ING Direct.

This year for Christmas, 500 families got an amazing present - their January mortgage payment was taken care of, paid, virtually erased from their to-do list.

Instead of their usual holiday party extravaganza’s, ING Direct gave $861,513.25 (about $1,700 per household) to 500 families. I’m not sure which piece I’m more blown away by, that they did something so generous or that they usually spend almost $1 million on holiday parties.

But, it has me thinking…If every big company did this, what would happen?

Would the parties really be missed? And couldn’t they happen anyway with some fancy sheet cakes from the grocery store on a Friday afternoon in December.

Think about how this would help the people in our country that are suffering because of our economy?

If you own a big company…or work for one, think about making this happen in your community. What an example ING Direct has set. What a high, and halo-lit, bar to reach….